PUZZLE #551: Fronts Off 8

PUZZLE #551

FRONTS OFF 8

First, find the answers to each clue so that there are two words in each rectangular box. Then change the first letter of each word to the new same letter for both words of a pair to form two new words, and write the new letter in the square box to the left of the rectangle.

Once you're done, read down the boxes to get the FINAL ANSWER: a seven-letter word

1) Garbage bag brand that's stronger than those other "wimpy, wimpy, wimpy" types

    Lumberjack's version of "Heads up!"

2) Sons of Anarchy actor Jimmy

    Craftiest (HINT: think of a certain cartoon coyote from Warner Bros.)

3) The first letter in "R.E.M."

    False teeth

4) Simon whose song "You're So Vain" is partially about Warren Beatty

    Having no name, such as Korn's eighth album

5) Father of Perdita's fifteen puppies in Disney's 101 Dalmatians

    More unclear, like ancient film reels

6) Use cash or a debit card

    Letter between delta and zeta

7) Meta _____ 3 (VR headset released by Facebook's parent company in 2023)

    Big the Cat's pet amphibian in Sonic Adventure (HINT: It's not "Toady")

Once you think you know what the FINAL ANSWER is, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Deck It Out 10

It's been almost two weeks since "Deck It Out 10" got posted on this blog, and nineteen people have solved it since then:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Cathy Bowen
• Marie desJardins
• Pavel Curtis
• Kevin Orfield
• Okieboy2008
• Michael Lebowitz
• Sam Levitin
• Chris Kochmanski
• KeoFam
• Derek Allen
• Lynn Sweeney
• Craig Leach
• Tamara Brenner
• Patrick Jordan
• Alex Milton
• Steve Gunter
• Joe Bernard

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #550: Squeezed in the Middle 22

PUZZLE #550

SQUEEZED IN THE MIDDLE 22

It's my 550th puzzle! My last milestone puzzle involved a return to my very first puzzle type on this site, and this time, it'll be a return to my signature creation, "Squeezed in the Middle". What makes this particular one so special is that it'll be my largest one of this type that I've crafted so far, with ten rows and twenty clues in all! If you need a refresher on how to solve this particular puzzle type, then keep on reading!

For this puzzle, you're going to sandwich together words (entered in the white rectangles) by surrounding it with a letter on each side, one at the beginning and one at the end, making a new word in the process. Once you're done, the extra letters you've added in the "crust" (the brown squares) will spell out a two-word phrase. In the example above, the words URN, RAT, and OVER become BURNT, IRATE, and GOVERN, and the letters in the brown squares, reading down, spell out BIG TEN. However, to make things trickier, the "Wholes" will be in no particular order, so it's up to you to figure out which one of the "Centers" it matches up with!

Once you've filled out everything, the letters in the brown squares, reading down, will spell out this week's FINAL ANSWER: something useful for crafting word puzzles

CENTERS

1) Weird, like the case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

2) Strategic board game based on Portuguese tiles that has a "Crystal Mosaic" expansion

3) Actress Long, Peeples, or Vardalos

4) Misplaces one's car keys, say

5) "We want _____!" (chant from baseball fans sick of batters whiffing pitched balls): 2 wds.

6) Letters before the Enterprise's name in Star Trek

7) 4:3 or 16:9, for one

8) Water pitcher seen in many still life paintings

9) Stand-up comedienne Margaret who competed on Celebrity Jeopardy in 2025

10) Frau's husband

WHOLES

• Avengers: Endgame co-director Anthony or Joe (or Rene who acts in said film)

• Blood of the Greek gods

• Flavor of the bright red LifeSavers candy

• Highest (and largest) island in French Polynesia

• Huge computer built in the 1940s

• Lapis _____ (deep blue metamorphic rock, or a Steven Universe character)

• Least distant

• Not on speaking terms, like some exes

• Public speech

• The MLB's exclusive baseball cap manufacturer (or a time period to "usher in"): 2 wds.

Once you believe you've figured out the FINAL ANSWER, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: The Spiral Squared 8

It's been about two weeks since "The Spiral Squared 8" was posted on this blog, and nineteen people have solved it since then:

• Marie desJardins
• Grant Fikes
• Cathy Bowen
• Cindy Heisler
• Joe Bernard
• Kevin Orfield
• Okieboy2008
• Michael Lebowitz
• Sam Levitin
• Chris Kochmanski
• Derek Allen
• Wendy Walker
• Tamara Brenner
• Craig Leach
• Patrick Jordan
• Mom
• Steve Gunter
• Lynn Sweeney
• Pavel Curtis

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #549: Deck It Out 10

PUZZLE #549

DECK IT OUT 10

Fill in the answers to the clues below, then transfer the letters marked with playing card symbols to their proper places in the grid below. The number (or letter) of each clue will tell you what column to place those letters in. Once it's completely filled in, the grid will spell out a sentence that will provide a hint to the FINAL ANSWER.

This week's FINAL ANSWER is a proper noun

A) Spelunking site mentioned in the lyrics to "Clementine"

   ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

    ♥       ♣   ♦   ♠

2) Sealing ring that’s metaphorically blown when one gets really angry

   ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

    ♦   ♥       ♠   ♣

3) Pro baseball team humorously nicknamed the "Motor City Kitties"

   ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

        ♠   ♣   ♦       ♥

4) Resident of Mumbai

   ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

        ♦       ♥   ♣   ♠

5) A bit burned

   ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

    ♣       ♥   ♠       ♦

6) Anakin Skywalker’s apprentice in Star Wars: The Clone Wars (anagram of OAK ASH)

   ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

    ♦   ♣       ♥       ♠      

7) Little Jack Horner sat in one

   ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

        ♣   ♠   ♥       ♦

8) Manufacturer of the Tacoma and Tundra trucks

   ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

    ♠       ♦       ♣   ♥

9) "Weird", "beard", and "cleared", for three

   ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

        ♠       ♥   ♣   ♦

10) Top 5 Matchbox Twenty hit that’s also a synonym for "ill"

   ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

    ♠       ♦   ♥       ♣

J) Pixar movie featuring two blue-skinned elf brothers

   ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

    ♦           ♣   ♠   ♥

Q) Fern leaves

   ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

    ♥   ♦       ♣       ♠

K) Scribble aimlessly

   ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

    ♣   ♥       ♦   ♠

Once you think you know what the FINAL ANSWER is, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Section Six 11

Two weeks have passed by since "Section Six 11" was posted on this blog, and nineteen people have solved it since then:

• Grant Fikes
• Marie desJardins
• Cathy Bowen
• Cindy Heisler
• Joe Bernard
• Kevin Orfield
• Okieboy2008
• Sam Levitin
• Michael Lebowitz
• KeoFam
• Wendy Walker
• Steve Gunter
• Mom
• Tamara Brenner
• Derek Allen
• Lynn Sweeney
• Stasi Gustafson
• Pavel Curtis
• Craig Leach

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #548: The Spiral Squared 8

PUZZLE #548

THE SPIRAL SQUARED 8

This puzzle turns in two directions. The Spiral's "Inward" clues yield a sequence of words to be entered clockwise in the spaces from 1 to 100. The "Outward" clues yield a different set of words to be entered counterclockwise from 100 to 1. Fill in the answers, one letter per space, according to the numbers beside each clue. Make sure to keep track of which way you're going!

Once you've filled out the grid, read out the highlighted squares diagonally to get this week's FINAL ANSWER: a ten-letter word.

INWARD

1-5: Large tobacco item in Groucho Marx's mouth

6-9: Star _____: Deep Space Nine (1993-99 TV series)

10-14: Weeping statue of Greek myth

15-20: Croatia's capital

21-25: Winnie-the-Pooh author whose first two initials stand for "Alan Alexander"

26-33: He made Icarus' wings and warned him not to fly too close to the sun

34-41: Leave: 2 wds.

42-46: Frasier Crane's brother on Frasier

47-51: Man-goat hybrid seen in the "Fracture Hills" level of Spyro 2

52-58: Diamond style named after a thorny flower: 2 wds.

59-66: Go from Point A to B instantaneously (but only if you're a sci-fi character)

67-70: Bulky boats like the one used by Noah

71-76: The dots over the "O" in Blue Öyster Cult's name

77-81: Walking sticks used by Cranky Kong and Scrooge McDuck

82-90: Naruto's catchphrase (or part of the title of Ripley's "strange but true" series): 2 wds.

91-96: "Holy" city in Ohio?

97-100: Japanese spider _____ (world's largest crustacean)

OUTWARD

100-94: Supermarket scanner's target

93-88: Nickname of Tiana's best friend in The Princess and the Frog (anagram of ELIOTT)

87-84: Face covering for a belly dancer, sometimes

83-79: Buddy who played the title role in Barnaby Jones

78-73: Based on fact

72-66: Semiaquatic rodent in love in a Captain & Tennille song

65-62: Soap on a _____

61-55: One of the ingredients in a BLT

54-50: "Apologetic" board game similar to Parcheesi

49-41: Adorning with those swingy things on top of graduation caps

40-36: Tenet director Christopher

35-30: Tentacled Disney villainess who sings "Poor Unfortunate Souls"

29-24: Make soundproof

23-18: Flexible and lithe

17-12: Octagonal park pavilion

11-7: Comic book's line artist

6-1: _____ Kingdom (multi-platinum album by No Doubt)

Once you believe you've figured out the FINAL ANSWER, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Pieces of Nine 13

Roughly two weeks have gone by since "Pieces of Nine 13" was posted on this blog, and twenty-one people have solved it since then:

• Marie desJardins
• Grant Fikes
• Cathy Bowen
• Cindy Heisler
• Joe Bernard
• Pavel Curtis
• Kevin Orfield
• Okieboy2008
• Derek Allen
• Mom
• Steve Gunter
• Michael Lebowitz
• Tamara Brenner
• KeoFam
• Patrick Jordan
• Lynn Sweeney
• Wendy Walker
• Chris Kochmanski
• Craig Leach
• Sam Levitin
• Stasi Gustafson

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #547: Section Six 11

PUZZLE #547

SECTION SIX 11

This puzzle (suggested by Patron Grant Fikes) contains a word or phrase suggested by Patron M. Sean Molley. Support me on Patreon at $15 or more per month to suggest one word or phrase for me to put into a puzzle every month!

This puzzle's grid has six rings and six sections. Each ring contains a series of words placed end to end, reading either clockwise OR counterclockwise; all the words in a given ring will read in the same direction. Ring 1 (the outermost ring) contains six answers that read clockwise; the starting spaces are numbered in the grid. Clues for the answers in the remaining rings are given in order, and each answer’s starting points are marked with a dot [•]. However, which direction they proceed in is for you to figure out. The sections (separated by the heavy lines radiating from the center) will help you figure out the letters in the inner rings: in a given section, each ring segment contains all but one of the letters in the next segment outward. In other words, a section's outermost segment contains six letters; the next segment inward contains five of those six letters in some order; and so on, until only one of the original six letters remains.

Once you're done, unscramble the six spaces with stars in them to get the FINAL ANSWER: a six-letter word.

RING 1

1) Covering for a classic Kit Kat bar

2) Her #1 song "Raise Your Glass" went five times platinum

3) Sun blocker on a baseball cap

4) Poison used in old Agatha Christie mysteries

5) Like a bug in a rug

6) _____-Webster (dictionary company)

RING 2

• Blondie's pet dog in Blondie (or an oxeye flower, e.g.)

• The "C" in the mathematical memory aid "SOH-CAH-TOA"

• Crucially important, like a literal turning point?

• _____ of the board (male committee leaders)

• Strongly advise

RING 3

• Status of a volcano currently erupting lava

• Too loud

• Calvin Klein, or the type of clothes his company makes

• Video game plumber who appears as a baby in Yoshi's Island

RING 4

• Supercuts' parent company (or former Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? host Philbin)

• Manufacturer of the Airblade hand dryer

• British Queen with an African lake and an African waterfall named after her

RING 5

• Letter between Romeo and Tango

• Novelty song by C. W. McCall based on the CB radio fad of the 1970s

RING 6

• Johnny who hosted over 6,700 episodes of The Tonight Show

Once you think you know what the FINAL ANSWER is, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Dilly Dally 8

It's been almost two weeks since "Dilly Dally 8" was posted on this blog, so now it's time to take a look at all twenty people who have solved it since then:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Cathy Bowen
• Marie desJardins
• Pavel Curtis
• Joe Bernard
• Kevin Orfield
• Okieboy2008
• Michael Lebowitz
• Chris Kochmanski
• Mom
• Wendy Walker
• Sam Levitin
• KeoFam
• Tamara Brenner
• Patrick Jordan
• Craig Leach
• Lynn Sweeney
• Derek Allen
• Steve Gunter

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #546: Pieces of Nine 13

PUZZLE #546

PIECES OF NINE 13

Arrange the trigrams (blocks with three squares/letters in them) to make eight 9-letter words. After that, sort the new words so that the first one alphabetically is in row 1, the second one alphabetically is in row 2, and so on.

Once you're done, read down two of the columns for the FINAL ANSWER: a two-word phrase used in video gaming

Once you believe you've figured out the FINAL ANSWER, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Pent Words 21

It's been almost two weeks since "Pent Words 21" got posted on this blog, and twenty people have solved it since then:

• Grant Fikes
• Cathy Bowen
• Cindy Heisler
• Marie desJardins
• Joe Bernard
• Pavel Curtis
• Kevin Orfield
• Okieboy2008
• Michael Lebowitz
• Chris Kochmanski
• Mom
• Wendy Walker
• Sam Levitin
• Steve Gunter
• Patrick Jordan
• Derek Allen
• Craig Leach
• Tamara Brenner
• KeoFam
• Lynn Sweeney

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #545: Dilly Dally 8

PUZZLE #545

DILLY DALLY 8

Each answer in the grid below consists of two words that both start with the same letter, like ASKING ABOUT. However, each clue's answer only makes up half of the phrase (either the first or second half), while the second half is in a separate list of clues, in random order. It's up to you to match up the answers from both lists to fill in each two-word phrase.

Once the grid has been filled out, hidden inside and going up, down, or diagonally will be the FINAL ANSWER: A cartoon character whose name also consists of two words starting with the same letter.

NUMBERED WORDS

1) Washer and/or dryer contents

2) "Don't give up the _____!" (quote from Navy Captain James Lawrence)

3) Monetary charges that may be hidden

4) Oscar-winning musical with characters named Roxie Hart and Billy Flynn

5) Red playing card suit that isn't a heart

6) 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet

7) _____ Spice Latte (autumnal Starbucks offering)

8) Noble title preceding "Luck" or "Liberty"

9) Tools that come in club, claw, and ball peen varieties

10) Amy from the 1995 film Congo, for one (HINT: She's a large great ape)

11) One of six in this clue

MISSING WORDS

• Baby bears

• Crusted desserts eaten on a certain March 14th holiday

• Furry action/role-playing game subtitled An Elysian Tale (or what you do to check for fingerprints)

• Getting lower in quicksand

• "_____ in the Stars" (duet between Elton John & LeAnn Rimes)

• Jesus healing the blind or Him walking on water, e.g.

• _____ Keepers (kids' game show that involves searching inside cluttered rooms)

• "Krazy" adhesive

• Smart TV remote button that resembles a house

• Supermarket shopper's sheet

• Type of question such as "How satisfied are you with our amazing product?"

Once you think you know what the FINAL ANSWER is, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Helter Skelter 9

It's been about two weeks since "Helter Skelter 9" was posted on this blog, and nineteen people have solved it since then:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Cathy Bowen
• Marie desJardins
• Joe Bernard
• Pavel Curtis
• Kevin Orfield
• Okieboy2008
• Michael Lebowitz
• Derek Allen
• Chris Kochmanski
• Patrick Jordan
• KeoFam
• Sam Levitin
• Tamara Brenner
• Mom
• Lynn Sweeney
• Wendy Walker
• Steve Gunter

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #544: Pent Words 21

PUZZLE #544

PENT WORDS 21

This puzzle type was suggested by Patron Grant Fikes. Normally, you can suggest a puzzle type of your own choice over on my Patreon page, but both slots are still full, so you might have to resort to PayPal if you still want to make a request of your own.

For this puzzle, you must divide the grid into pentominoes (they’re sorta like Tetris pieces, except they’re areas made up of five squares each) and put a letter in each cell. The rows, reading from left to right, will contain the words hinted at by the ACROSS clues. The letters in the pentominoes, reading left to right beginning with the top row, will form the words hinted at by the PENTOMINOES clues; these clues are presented in no particular order. (In the example above, the rows spell out CHINS, PARTY, and ANKLE, and the pentominoes spell out the words CHINA, STYLE, and PRANK.) Use the across answers to figure out where the pentominoes go.

Once you're done, combine the two unclued pentominoes to get this week's FINAL ANSWER: a two-word phrase

ACROSS (Two answers per row)

1) Wasp's attacks

    SpongeBob's crustaceous cheapskate of a boss, for one

2) Blue raspberry, for one

    Easternmost country on the Arabian Peninsula

3) "I _____ the need... the need for speed!" (quote from Top Gun)

    Henchman with a razor-sharp bowler hat who is playable in GoldenEye 007

4) Italian scooter brand that will turn 80 in 2026

    City where the South Korean girl group Blackpink was formed

5) Solitary soul

    Synonym for "zest" or "zip" that also starts with the same letter

6) Ancient Egyptian symbol that resembles a "T" with a loop on top

    Native American tribe of Geronimo

7) Surliest member of the Seven Dwarfs

    One-third of a hat trick in hockey

8) Sweet's partner, in a certain sauce

    Sing like an ovenbird

9) "Papa Loves _____" (Perry Como tune also sung by Nat "King" Cole)

    Like a faucet that refuses to stop dripping

10) Rash reactions, literally

      With "out", barely obtained a win

PENTOMINOES (Five letters per answer)

• HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER

• THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER

• Actress Gaynor who appeared in South Pacific (1958)

• New South _____ (Australian state with the Sydney Opera House)

• Video game bear who shares his name with a bluegrass instrument

• Bit of gossip

• Event with a bull riding contest

• Word that rhymes with "Chevy" in Don McLean's "American Pie"

• Bowling lane

• Basic taste with a Japanese name

• Orange that looks like it has a belly button

• My Big Fat _____ Wedding 3 (2023 movie sequel)

• Puts up a painting or poster, perhaps

• Shout from Oscar the Grouch whenever he doesn't want company

• Mess up, as a wrestling move

• Tortilla chip to dip in cheese

• Protuberance

• Many _____ returns

• Member of a WNBA team based in Los Angeles

• Starched, say

Once you believe you've figured out the FINAL ANSWER, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Link-Letters 14

Two weeks have passed by since "Link-Letters 14" was posted on this blog, and nineteen people have solved it since then:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Cathy Bowen
• Marie desJardins
• Joe Bernard
• Pavel Curtis
• Kevin Orfield
• Michael Lebowitz
• Okieboy2008
• Patrick Jordan
• Sam Levitin
• Chris Kochmanski
• Mom
• Derek Allen
• Stasi Gustafson
• Tamara Brenner
• Wendy Walker
• Lynn Sweeney
• Steve Gunter

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #543: Helter Skelter 9

PUZZLE #543

HELTER SKELTER 9

This puzzle contains a word or phrase suggested by Patron M. Sean Molley. Support me on Patreon at $15 or more per month to suggest one word or phrase for me to put into a puzzle every month!

Each answer in this crossword variation starts at the indicated number, and then moves towards the direction of the next number (though it may or may not stop there). The direction of the last answer is to be determined by the solver.

Once the grid has been filled out, unscramble the gray squares to get this week's FINAL ANSWER: An 8-letter word

1) 😭, 😂, and 🤔, to name a few

2) She played Angela on Who's the Boss?

3) Cinnamon _____ Crunch (General Mills cereal)

4) A half dozen cans of Canada Dry, perhaps: Hyph.

5) Sudan's capital city

6) Other, in Spanish (answer hidden in FOOTRACE)

7) Online retailer that didn't have its first profitable year until 2003

8) White spreads to put on chicken sandwiches from Popeyes

9) "Once Bitten, Twice _____" (highest-charting song by Great White)

10) Book of church music

11) Mangle, mar, or mutilate

12) Japanese automaker that still makes cars, none of which are sold in America since 2009

13) Stomach-strengthening exercise: Hyph.

14) Turns on a dime

15) Surreal 1997 computer adventure game named after black volcanic glass

16) The _____ Bugle (newspaper that Peter Parker works for in Spider-Man)

17) Adage or maxim

18) Artsy-craftsy lilac-colored unicorn from My Little Pony: Make Your Mark

19) Thanksgiving tubers

20) Friend for Speedy Gonzales

21) Ravine ravaged by flash floods

22) Labor management class for expectant mothers

23) First-person pronoun for Miss Piggy

Once you believe you've figured out the FINAL ANSWER, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Vanishing Act 5

Roughly two weeks have gone by since "Vanishing Act 5" was posted on this blog, and twenty people have solved it since then:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Marie desJardins
• Cathy Bowen
• Joe Bernard
• Pavel Curtis
• Kevin Orfield
• Michael Lebowitz
• Okieboy2008
• Stasi Gustafson
• Patrick Jordan
• Sam Levitin
• KeoFam
• Tamara Brenner
• Mom
• Wendy Walker
• Lynn Sweeney
• Craig Leach
• Chris Kochmanski
• Steve Gunter

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #542: Link-Letters 14

PUZZLE #542

LINK-LETTERS 14

There are two clues for each numbered row. The answers to each row's first clue go in the squares to the left of the first black bar in each correspondingly numbered row in the puzzle's grid, and the answers to the second clue go into the squares to the right of the second black bar. Then a single letter (the "Link-Letter") goes in the square in the middle to complete a single word that reads all the way across. For example, if the two words are CON and ACT, you can put a "T" between them to get CONTACT.

Once you've filled out all nine rows, the central letters will spell out two words reading down. Add a letter between those two words in the red square to get this week's FINAL ANSWER: a noun relating to biology

1) Art _____ (1920s artstyle used for the Empire State Building)

    Supermodel's stance

2) Plain to see (anagram of VOTER)

    Jeopardy champion-turned-host Jennings

3) Snake on the cover of Alice Cooper's album Constrictor

    Congress chamber with 435 representatives

4) Actress Campbell from Netflix's The Lincoln Lawyer

    A terrible thing to waste, in a well-known motto from the UNCF

5) Stimpy or Sylvester, for one

    Kind of water mixed with gin in a drink usually garnished with a lime slice

6) Straps that steer steeds

    Last word of the Pledge of Allegiance

7) Tense for verbs ending in "-ed"

    Guerrilla Guevara who narrates the musical Evita for some reason

8) "We _____ fight on the beaches" (speech from Winston Churchill)

    Direction preceding "Hollywood" or "Virginia"

9) Aladdin's simian sidekick in Disney's Aladdin (both versions)

    Harlem shake, hand jive, or hokey pokey, e.g.

Once you think you know what the FINAL ANSWER is, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Question Quest 2

It's been almost two weeks since my second "Question Quest" puzzle was posted on this blog, so now it's time to take a look at all eighteen people who have solved it since then:

• Cathy Bowen
• Grant Fikes
• Marie desJardins
• Cindy Heisler
• Pavel Curtis
• Kevin Orfield
• Michael Lebowitz
• Okieboy2008
• Chris Kochmanski
• KeoFam
• Tamara Brenner
• Wendy Walker
• Derek Allen
• Sam Levitin
• Mom
• Stasi Gustafson
• Lynn Sweeney
• Craig Leach

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #541: Vanishing Act 5

PUZZLE #541

VANISHING ACT 5

Below are a set of what are supposed to be valid words, but instances of one duplicated letter in each word have all disappeared! Your job is to reinsert the missing duplicate letters into each numbered string of letters so that the resulting words all match up to the provided clues (listed in no particular order). The number in square brackets next to each group shows how many of the same letter need to be inserted into it. For instance, if one of the groups is "XAMPL [2]", then you'll need to insert a letter two times ("E" in this case) to get "EXAMPLE".

Once you've completed everything, the letters that have been added back in, in order, will form another incomplete string of letters. Insert three more of the same letter to get the FINAL ANSWER: an 11-letter plural noun

CLUES

• 1982 arcade game where you control a soapy sphere in a sink

• Buccaneer's big ball shooter

• It cuts paper, but gets smashed by rock

• Knowingly giving false testimony

• Like the solutions to shikaku and sudoku puzzles

• Overused expression such as "It was a dark and stormy night"

• "_____ to Love" (Robert Palmer music video with women in heavy makeup)

• Volkswagen auto that's the subject of a '60s car-spotting game called "Slug Bug"

Once you think you know what the FINAL ANSWER is, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Touchword 3

It's been almost two weeks since "Touchword 3" got posted on this blog, and nineteen people have solved it since then:

• Marie desJardins
• Grant Fikes
• Cathy Bowen
• Cindy Heisler
• Joe Bernard
• Pavel Curtis
• Kevin Orfield
• Chris Kochmanski
• Okieboy2008
• Mom
• Michael Lebowitz
• Derek Allen
• Wendy Walker
• Patrick Jordan
• Sam Levitin
• Steve Gunter
• Tamara Brenner
• Lynn Sweeney
• KeoFam

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #540: Question Quest 2

PUZZLE #540

QUESTION QUEST 2

Below, there's a sentence with multiple blanks, and the words that fill in those blanks have been split apart and scattered throughout the grid. Your job is to locate the correct first letter for each word and then follow the given compass directions throughout the grid for each answer (So for example, "2W" means to move two spaces west). Each letter in the grid will be used exactly once. As a helpful tip, try to look at the directions for the following letters to see how far from the grid's top, bottom, or sides you must look. For instance, if the directions for a word's second letter are 6N, the first letter must be somewhere in the bottom two rows.

Once you've filled in all of the blanks and finished each word, read the finished sentence and solve the resulting clue for the FINAL ANSWER: a three-word name

What __ __ __ __ __ __   __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ from an

     ?? 4W 3S 3S 3W 1N   ?? 4N 4E 5S 2W 1N 3W 2N 7E

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __   __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

?? 6S 1E 5N 3W 6S 2W 4N   ?? 5E 4N 5W 2S 3E 3S 2W 2S 

__ __ __ __ __ __ has a __ __ __ __ __ __ __

?? 3N 4E 4S 5W 2N       ?? 6E 1S 2W 5S 3E 4N

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ and a __ __ __ __ __ __

?? 6W 5N 3E 2S 2E 4S 3W       ?? 3E 2N 7W 3N 7E

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ with __ __ __ __ __?

?? 4N 5E 2S 1W 2S 2E 5N      ?? 1S 4S 3E 3N

Once you believe you've figured out the FINAL ANSWER, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Semicircle Sorting 7

It's been about two weeks since "Semicircle Sorting 7" was posted on this blog, and nineteen people have solved it since then:

• Grant Fikes
• Marie desJardins
• Cathy Bowen
• Cindy Heisler
• Joe Bernard
• Kevin Orfield
• Okieboy2008
• Michael Lebowitz
• Chris Kochmanski
• Stasi Gustafson
• Sam Levitin
• Derek Allen
• Craig Leach
• Pavel Curtis
• Wendy Walker
• Tamara Brenner
• Steve Gunter
• Mom
• Lynn Sweeney

Now head below the break for the answers as well as a solver's comment!

PUZZLE #539: Touchword 3

PUZZLE #539

TOUCHWORD 3

One of the clues for this puzzle (suggested by Patron Grant Fikes) contains a word or phrase suggested by Patron M. Sean Molley. Support me on Patreon at $15 or more per month to suggest one word or phrase for me to put into a puzzle every month!

In a normal crossword, words cross each other; in this puzzle, they simply touch. More specifically, all answers read across each numbered row (ranging from two to three answers per row), and every letter touches, along an edge, at least one identical letter above or below it. Since the top and bottom rows also loop around and connect with each other, they're considered touching as well.

Once everything is filled out, read out the highlighted diagonal line for the FINAL ANSWER: the name of a video game for the PlayStation 3

1) See what someone is saying?: Hyph.

    Indoor dog or cat, say

2) Londoner's liquid measurement

    "Aw, crud!"

    Tennis tournament that Coco Gauff won in 2023: 2 wds.

3) Placed in opposition, with "against"

    Fanfiction.net genre involving inner emotional turmoil

    Lucy Liu's role in both Kill Bill movies: Hyph. (answer hidden in FORENSIC)

4) Blast from the ____

    Odie's original owner in Garfield who hasn't been seen since 1983

    Typhoons, tempests and tornadoes, for three

5) In conclusion

    Mounted medieval soldier (or a mustached ally of He-.... errr, Prince Adam’s heroic alter ego): Hyph.

6) Plastic building block company that will release a Game Boy set in fall 2025

    Cybernetic daughter of Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

    Stuns for a loop

7) "Away with thee!"

    Bladed construction vehicle such as Komatsu's huge D575 model

8) Gets started

    Ferrell who played Alex Trebek in SNL's "Celebrity Jeopardy" sketches

    The Mars-exploring robot Curiosity, for one

9) Shroud of _____

    Big gulp from a big drink

    Shows to be true beyond a reasonable doubt

10) Rutabaga relative

      Purple vegetables known as "aubergines" in the UK

11) Manitoba's capital where the NHL's Jets are based in

      Georgia's capital where the above mentioned Jets were originally from

12) Feathered limb of a harpy

      _____ de Lioncourt (Tom Cruise's role in Interview with the Vampire)

      Roo's mother from Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree

13) Mutilate beyond recognition

      Some Christmas decorations hung by the chimney with care

14) Cartographers' creations

      "Well, one thing _____ another, and...": 2 wds.

      High-stress situations

15) Expire, as a magazine subscription

      Like an impromptu meeting: 2 wds.

      Option for changing a password you've forgotten

Once you think you know what the FINAL ANSWER is, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Gryptics 9

Two weeks have passed by since "Gryptics 9" was posted on this blog, and an impressive twenty-two people have solved it since then:

• Grant Fikes
• Cathy Bowen
• Marie desJardins
• Cindy Heisler
• Pavel Curtis
• Kevin Orfield
• Okieboy2008
• Michael Lebowitz
• Sam Levitin
• CP80
• Chris Kochmanski
• Derek Allen
• Stasi Gustafson
• Craig Leach
• Wendy Walker
• Tamara Brenner
• Mom
• Lynn Sweeney
• KeoFam
• Steve Gunter
• SquishmallowsUnited
• Patrick Jordan

Now head below the break for the answers as well as a couple solvers' comments!

PUZLLE #538: Semicircle Sorting 7

PUZZLE #538

SEMICIRCLE SORTING 7

Below are 12 semicircles, each containing three or four letters. Your job is to combine them all into six circles so that a common word (either 6, 7, or 8 letters long) can be read either clockwise or counterclockwise in each circle. However, in order to do that, six of the semicircles need to be rotated 180° upside down so that they can be correctly matched up with the remaining six semicircles.

Once all of the circles have been solved, select two of the resulting words and combine them to get the FINAL ANSWER: the two-word name of a hit disco song

Once you believe you've figured out the FINAL ANSWER, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Fumble

Roughly two weeks have gone by since my tribute to Jumble called "Fumble" was posted on this blog, and twenty-one people have solved it since then:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Marie desJardins
• Cathy Bowen
• Pavel Curtis
• Joe Bernard
• Kevin Orfield
• OkieBoy2008
• Michael Lebowitz
• Sam Levitin
• Derek Allen
• Craig Leach
• Tamara Brenner
• Chris Kochmanski
• Mom
• CP80
• Lynn Sweeney
• SquishmallowsUnited
• Wendy Walker
• Steve Gunter
• Stasi Gustafson

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #537: Gryptics 9

PUZZLE #537

GRYPTICS 9

Insert a single letter in each space of each grid so that each grid's five rows and five columns spells a word from left to right or top to bottom (including the letters outside the grid).

Once you're done, take a word from the first grid and a word from the second grid and pair them up to get the FINAL ANSWER: the name of a movie released in 1990

Once you think you know what the FINAL ANSWER is, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Triangle Tangle 7

It's been almost two weeks since "Triangle Tangle 7" was posted on this blog, and an impressively high twenty-two people have solved it since then! Take a look:

• Marie desJardins
• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Cathy Bowen
• Joe Bernard
• Pavel Curtis
• Kevin Orfield
• Michael Lebowitz
• Okieboy2008
• Sam Levitin
• Chris Kochmanski
• Derek Allen
• Tamara Brenner
• CP80
• Wendy Walker
• Mom
• Patrick Jordan
• Lynn Sweeney
• SquishmallowsUnited
• Craig Leach
• Steve Gunter
• Stasi Gustafson

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #536: Fumble

PUZZLE #536

FUMBLE

This puzzle type was suggested by Patron Grant Fikes. Normally, you can suggest a puzzle type of your own choice over on my Patreon page, but both slots are still full, so you might have to resort to PayPal if you still want to make a request of your own.

I'm sure you're all familiar with the Jumble newspaper comic (in case you aren't, you can find an interactive version through the Chicago Tribune's website right here), so for this month's request, Grant wanted me to make use of my drawing skills and craft my own tribute/ripoff of That Scrambled Word Game®. No directions will be provided, however, as everything that you need to know will be provided inside the cartoon panel below.

The FINAL ANSWER to this puzzle is a four-word phrase

Once you believe you've figured out the FINAL ANSWER, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Quadruple Cross 6

It's been almost two weeks since "Quadruple Cross 6" got posted on this blog, and an impressive twenty-two people have solved it since then:

• Cindy Heisler
• Cathy Bowen
• Grant Fikes
• Marie desJardins
• Joe Bernard
• Kevin Orfield
• Michael Lebowitz
• Chris Kochmanski
• Derek Allen
• Sam Levitin
• Stasi Gustafson
• Okieboy2008
• Wendy Walker
• CP80
• Patrick Jordan
• Tamara Brenner
• Craig Leach
• Mom
• Pavel Curtis
• Lynn Sweeney
• SquishmallowsUnited
• Steve Gunter

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #535: Triangle Tangle 7

PUZZLE #535

TRIANGLE TANGLE 7

To solve this puzzle, enter the 4-letter answer to each clue into the diagram either from top to bottom or diagonally upward. There are two numbers starting each clue; each answer begins in the triangle marked with the first number, and ends in the triangle marked with the second.

Once the grid has been filled in, there are two more words hiding in the topmost row of letters and the bottommost row of letters. Combine them both to get the FINAL ANSWER: the name of a basketball video game

1-2) _____-chat

2-3) DVR brand that turned 25 in 2024

3-4) Preposition between "head" and "heels"

4-5) Not a dream, a hoax, or an imaginary story

5-6) Extol and exalt

6-7) Two-player card game battle in Yu-Gi-Oh!, for one

7-8) Type of year with an extra day in February

8-9) "A Whiter Shade of _____" (#5 hit song by Procol Harum)

9-10) State trees of Massachusetts and North Dakota

10-11) Cause of a bad air day in L.A.

11-12) Point scored in Super Mario Strikers (HINT: it's a soccer video game)

12-13) Hang out in a hammock, perhaps

13-14) Miller who played the Flash in 2023's The Flash (or poet Pound)

14-15) United _____ Emirates

15-16) The Tin Woodman of Oz author L. Frank

16-17) Button to make talk shows stop talking

17-18) Handmade crafts website with a "Games & Puzzles" section

Once you believe you've figured out the FINAL ANSWER, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Mini-Marching Bands 8

It's been about two weeks since "Mini-Marching Bands 8" was posted on this blog, and over twenty-three people have solved it since then! Go ahead and take a look at that massive amount:

• Cindy Heisler
• Cathy Bowen
• Grant Fikes
• Marie desJardins
• Joe Bernard
• Pavel Curtis
• Kevin Orfield
• Okieboy2008
• Sam Levitin
• Michael Lebowitz
• Wendy Walker
• KeoFam
• Chris Kochmanski
• Tamara Brenner
• Derek Allen
• Craig & Tracy Leech
• Mom
• Patrick Jordan
• CP80
• Lynn Sweeney
• Steve Gunter
• SquishmallowsUnited
• Stasi Gustavson

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #534: Quadruple Cross 6

PUZZLE #534

QUADRUPLE CROSS 6

This puzzle contains a word or phrase suggested by Patron M. Sean Molley. Support me on Patreon at $15 or more per month to suggest one word or phrase for me to put into a puzzle every month!

To begin solving this puzzle, view each numbered square in the grid as being in the center of a plus-shaped cross where two five-letter clue answers intersect. There are two clues corresponding to each number, and each numbered pair of crossing answers has the same middle letter. Here's the tricky part: which one of each pair's two answers goes across and which one goes down is for you to figure out, so make sure all of the answers overlap each other properly!

Once the grid has been filled in, read the sixteen outermost letters in a clockwise fashion to get the FINAL ANSWER: the name of an Oscar-winning film from the 1960s

CLUES

1) Inner turmoil for a teenager

    Winter Olympian on a sled

2) Cinnamon roll's scent, say

    Wood-burning appliance of old

3) Bespectacled cartoon character who first says "Jinkies!" in The New Scooby-Doo Movies

    Where's _____? In Hollywood (1993 picture book)

4) Corn, or a color named after corn

    Mammal whose full name is from the Greek for "nose-horned"

5) Bank of America's virtual assistant whose name is hiding inside "BANK OF AMERICA"

    Spanish island known for its nightlife

6) Avant-garde rocker Frank who once wrote a song about yellow snow

    Flavor of syrup that Canada has an emergency reserve of

7) Temporarily stop a Netflix video, perhaps

    Tic-Tac-_____ (game show where Thom McKee won 43 matches in a row in 1980)

8) Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, for one

    "Lucky" digit on a slot machine

9) Bright-eyed and _____-tailed

    Social system of ancient India

10) Bloodsucking parasite, literally or figuratively

      Laughing carnivore

11) Blinky, Pinky, Inky, or Clyde from Pac-Man, e.g.

      Smile 2 actress Scott

12) Dungeons & Dragons monster that can imitate treasure chests (or a synonym for "imitate")

      Hunter Fudd from the Looney Tunes short Rabbit Fire

13) Male singing voice higher than baritone

      Wing newly added to a building

14) Banish to parts unknown

      East Asian country where fireworks were invented

15) Group of employees

      Terrier's tether

16) Greek muse of poetry (anagram of OATER)

      "_____ Your Groove Thing" (disco song by Peaches & Herb)

Once you think you know what the FINAL ANSWER is, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a link to a .PDF version which you can print out!